The Money Tree

Xu Mo's response was exactly as the Soldier had anticipated, and it was also in line with what the higher-ups at the military headquarters had expected.

He had clearly purchased an aircraft carrier, yet he insisted on calling it a "find," going through layer upon layer of reporting and summoning them, which clearly indicated his intention to hand it over.

What impressed the Soldier was that Xu Mo, having spent a fortune to acquire the aircraft carrier, merely wanted to quietly donate it to the country without any thought of using the event to boost his reputation or leave a mark in history. Such a broad-mindedness was not something everyone could possess.

In just that short span of time, Xu Mo had been thoroughly investigated. His background was spotless, with a clean record, and he had been actively fighting crime recently, making him a model patriotic citizen and a law-abiding young man.

As for the source of the money Xu Mo used to buy the aircraft carrier, they had also uncovered it. The funds came from digital currencies and the stock market. Xu Mo had a habit of trading cryptocurrencies and stocks, buying low and selling high with precise timing, consistently reaping hefty profits and rapidly growing his wealth. It was through this gradual accumulation that he had amassed enough to purchase an aircraft carrier.

The cost of building an aircraft carrier was over a hundred billion, which sounded staggering, but in reality, the net worth of many wealthy individuals would be sufficient to buy one. Xu Mo happened to be one of those wealthy individuals, and he had poured everything he had into acquiring this aircraft carrier.

Of course, the information uncovered was also fabricated by the system to help Xu Mo. Before the investigation, the system had already created a flawless cover. In reality, Xu Mo had never traded cryptocurrencies or stocks, and he wasn't even aware of these activities. The system's rewards were always meticulous, leaving no room for flaws, no matter how thorough the investigation.

...

"The higher-ups have instructed that you can leave now, but before you do, you need to sign an agreement. Today's events must not be disclosed, or you will face the consequences," the Soldier said.

He then had someone bring over several freshly printed agreements.

The main content of the agreement was to require everyone not to disclose what they had seen and heard today, as it was classified information. The purpose was to protect Xu Mo, the patriotic citizen.

The story of "finding" an aircraft carrier didn't hold up to scrutiny. If this matter were to leak, it would quickly become clear that the aircraft carrier wasn't found but was purchased by a man named Xu Mo.

As the saying goes, "Fame can bring trouble, just as fattened pigs attract butchers." For Xu Mo, this might not be a good thing. His reluctance to reveal that he had bought the aircraft carrier was likely due to this concern.

That's why the military higher-ups chose to cover for Xu Mo. Since he didn't want the matter to be public, they would keep it confidential.

Of course, they wouldn't neglect Xu Mo, the patriotic individual who had gone bankrupt to buy an aircraft carrier and donate it to the country. Appropriate rewards would not be withheld.

After everyone signed the agreements, they left under the watchful eyes of the Soldiers.

On the yacht, everyone except Xu Mo and the four women was filled with confusion and bewilderment.

This can't be right, the matter just ended like that?

Logically, the Soldiers should have taken Xu Mo away for an investigation and thorough questioning, shouldn't they?

Just letting him go like this, what kind of operation is that!

After all, this was finding an aircraft carrier, not picking up a wallet or a phone. This was a major event!

Not investigating thoroughly and just letting him go, is that really okay?

As they thought about it, they occasionally glanced at Xu Mo.

However, they didn't know that Xu Mo hadn't been taken away for investigation because the matter had already been thoroughly investigated in that short span of time.

The story of "finding" an aircraft carrier was just Xu Mo's cover.

The aircraft carrier wasn't found; it was bought. So, the matter wasn't strange at all.

In essence, this was just a patriotic individual who had spent a fortune to buy an aircraft carrier and attempted to donate it anonymously, only to be discovered.

...

The next day.

Xu Mo was awarded the title of First-Class Heroic Model for entering the police station with his left foot first, and he received a reward of eighty thousand yuan, along with a promotion to Deputy Chief of the Criminal Investigation Division.

Uninformed police officers were baffled.

What's going on?

Why was this highest honor in the police force suddenly awarded?

Although Xu Mo had solved several major cases, the sudden reward still seemed too abrupt!

Han Fei and the Director knew the truth, but they didn't say anything, as they had signed an agreement not to disclose that matter.

In their view, the honor Xu Mo had earned with his contributions was actually too little.

He had "found" and donated an aircraft carrier!

But what Han Fei and the Director didn't know was that the aircraft carrier Xu Mo "found" wasn't just any ordinary aircraft carrier—it was a nuclear-powered one.

This aircraft carrier filled a gap in the country's nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.

It was also extremely valuable for research, learning, and exploration.

With this aircraft carrier as a reference, the upcoming 005, 006, 007…00N would all be nuclear-powered, and it wouldn't be long before conventional-powered aircraft carriers became a thing of the past.

By then… who would even want conventional-powered aircraft carriers?

Of course, the reward for Xu Mo wasn't just the First-Class Heroic Model title.

Not long after being awarded the First-Class Heroic Model medal, someone came to the police station to see Xu Mo and asked him to sign a share transfer agreement.

Looking at the PetroChina share transfer agreement in front of him, Xu Mo pinched his thigh.

Happiness came too quickly, like a tornado, leaving Xu Mo dazed.

He increasingly felt that the decision he made to donate the aircraft carrier was the right one. An aircraft carrier was useless to him; he couldn't use it, and selling it was out of the question. Where to park it was also a big problem, making it quite troublesome.

But by donating it, not only was the trouble gone, but money also came rolling in!

One percent of PetroChina's shares might only make him a small shareholder, but that was no small matter.

The annual dividends from that one percent stake were astronomical figures. This wasn't just a share; it was a money tree, a cash machine! And it was incredibly stable. With that one percent stake, it could be said that generations would never have to worry about money.

"Mr. Xu, please take a look at the contract. If everything is in order, please sign it," the man in a suit handed Xu Mo a pen, speaking with great respect.

Xu Mo quickly skimmed through the contract and then signed his name with a flourish.

"Oh, by the way, Mr. Xu, the shares cannot be transferred for free. You need to pay one yuan to purchase the shares. This is mentioned in the contract, and you need to transfer one yuan to this account," the man provided Xu Mo with an account.

"Got it!" Xu Mo agreed very cheerfully. Buying a money tree for just one yuan? Not a bad deal!

He then took out his phone and transferred one yuan to the account: "It's done."

"Great, sir. The contract is in two copies, and this one is yours. Please keep it safe."

...